Thanks for the emails, some offlist. It seems Sheldon is still answering our questions:
http://sheldonbrown.com/
There seem to be a number of current conversion by TruVativ, Bulletproof, F MF and others which simple replace the pressed cups with sleeves that accep t conventional ISO cups, and thus let one use and ISO BB one likes. This would seem the way to go. These companies seem mostly BMX oriented, so the conversion are probably intended to convert BMX bikes from Ashtabula to cotterless cranks. Anyone know if one needs a different conversion kit for road bikes than for BMX?
Regards,
Jerry Moos
--- On Sat, 10/11/08, Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> wro te:
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> Subject: [CR]Ashtabula BB's and Lambert Hoods To: "CR List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, john@os2.dhs.org Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 9:57 AM
I need advice on the diverse subject of Ashtabula cranks and Lambert brake
half hoods.
I note that Bike Tools, Etc/UBI still sells BB cup sets as well as conversi on kits for Ashtabula BB's. However, the cup sets at least are available in either 24 TPI or 28 TPI. My old Sutherland's seems to indicate Schwi nn used 28 TPI, while others used 24 TPI. Is this correct?. Does it a pply the the fillet brazed Schwinns as well as Varsity, etc?
The conversion kit comes in single, double or triple, but the picture of th e kit seems to show nutted axles. Was this also the case with the old co nversion kits In The Day? Are these axles JIS? If so, is it possible
to replace them with JIS axles that take a conventional crank bolt, or do t hey have a different center section length than a standard JIS axle to adju st to the BB shells used with Ashtabula cranks?
Now for Lambert brake half hoods. A CR member also afflicted with Lamb erts generously sent me some of these for the Lambert/Viking I posted pics
of recently. Like Mafac half hoods, one can clean up white ones nicely b y soaking overnight in chlorine bleach, which perhaps surprisingly does min imal damage to the rubber. But unlike Mafac, these do not have a metal t ab to clip them to the back edge of the lever body. So how were these he ld in place? Did one glue them to the lever body? One pair had bar tape
residue on the back edge. I looks like they were sometimes overlaped by
the bar tape to hold the back end in place, while the cable housing running through the front end secured it to an extent. Anyone remember how the
hoods were secured on new Lamberts? Were the levers ever supplied with f ull hoods? I've only seen photos with these half hoods.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA